There is a new firmware upgrade that was announced at NAB 2010 but is only being implemented now and mainly affects the use of SDHC cards but adds the ability to be able to use 32Gig SxS cards. If you have an EX-30 and use it as a recorder read on…

I have a colleague who mainly films theatre shows using an EX-30, EX3 and an NX5. He runs the HD SDI cables out of the cameras into a Panasonic HS400A HD SDI switcher then an HD-SDI cable into the EX-30. This gives him fantastic picture quality and keeps the wide shot sharp as the SDI cables have no loss in signal over 100 meters. His achilles heal was the EX-30 …although sticking to Transend 16G SDHC cards via SxS adaptors latterly he was getting error messages about the cards needing restored or needing formatted.

This nearly cost him the 2nd half of a theatre show and came to me pulling his hair out. I told him there was a firmware update for the EX-30 which brought the SDHC cards into line as they were not officially recomended media in firmware v.1. He took his machine along to Mitcorp in Glasgow where he had purchased it and they updated the firmware for about £130.

Since the update he has had no recurring error messages and as he told me “£130 well spent”. So if you have an EX-30 and use SDHC card adaptors I must recommend the new firmware update otherwise you will be stuck if someone brings you a 32G SxS card as it won’t play it. As a further note H Preston Media have just had all their current stock of EX-30s updated this week so if you are thinking of buying one from anyone other than H Preston Media ask if it has the new firmware update first…if it hasn’t you will have to send it back to a Sony approved service centre to have it done and may incur an extra £130 for something that in my opinion should be free.

I am informed that after this update any further upgrades will be done by the end user this is a further new feature to be added by the new firmware.